1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to subterranean rooms or building structures that require human access in the event of an emergency, and more specifically to area well covers suitable for use with windows of the egress type that have an adjacent area window well which must remain accessible from either direction in the event of an emergency.
2. Description of the Related Art
As human civilization has advanced through the ages, there has been a developing awareness of the need for safety in building structures in order to preserve human life. The desire to preserve life has led to improvements in many areas, including the implementation of standard building codes that regulate electrical wiring, plumbing and even access routes into and from various rooms.
The need to regulate access routes has stemmed from the otherwise needless loss of life that has occurred when fire blocks a single access route. Fires may travel down common pathways such as hallways and the like with little impediment. In such a situation, a person who is otherwise fully capable of movement may not have the opportunity to leave a room or area unless another exit pathway is available. In such an instance, it is highly desirable for an occupant to have an alternative passageway, such as through a window or doorway to the ground level. For ground level rooms, this is normal construction. Nearly all ground level rooms have an entrance through a hallway or the like, and an exit through some type of window or doorway. However, subterranean structures, such as basements and lower levels within homes do not always have sufficient ground clearance for an ordinary window or door access portal.
In order to meet the need for subterranean access to and from the building exterior, specially designed windows, referred to in the trade as egress windows, have been designed. Egress windows permit the emergency evacuation of a partially or completely subterranean room in the event other access pathways are blocked. Wells are provided in the ground adjacent each window which enable the window to admit both light and air, and open fully to permit evacuation through the window opening. The window wells, which may extend three or more feet below the surface of the ground, are typically shored with corrugated steel reinforced walls imbedded in the ground and attached to the building wall adjacent the window.
These egress windows are most preferably designed to enable access from both directions. In other words, a person otherwise trapped within a room may exit the room through the egress window. Additionally, a firefighter or other emergency personnel may gain access to the room by entering through the egress window. With this dual directionality of the egress windows, building codes have been adopted that require the windows to be sufficiently large to permit a firefighter to enter through the window with an air tank or the like. Consequently, the size of an area window well has become relatively large.
In the warmer and more arid climates, egress windows generally perform satisfactorily throughout the year, and with little maintenance. Furthermore, in these climates, the size of the area window well is generally of little consequence. However, in climates where there are a preponderance of trees, leaves tend to accumulate within the area well. Leaves tend to conceal other more serious obstacles, such as sticks or other objects which may prevent the egress window from opening sufficiently to permit safe passage therethrough. Consequently, even a seemingly harmless accumulation of leaves within an area window well can ultimately lead to the unnecessary loss of life. In more northern climates, particularly where snow and ice accumulate through the winter months, additional problems have been encountered with area wells. Where snow and ice accumulate, the snow may tend to fill the area well. A number of hazards result from this build-up of snow, including the risk of the snow or ice blocking the egress window from opening. In such a situation, the window can no longer fulfill the function of safe passage.
With a large area window well, another hazard is created. Both humans and animals that are passing near the building structure may accidentally fall into it. While this is an unlikely event by day when the ground is clear, the risk is much greater at night or when natural coverings such as leaves or snow accumulate. All too frequently, homeowners have had the unpleasant experience of a skunk or other wild animal accidentally falling into the area well during the night, or children playing after dark forgetting about the area window well. Similarly, when snow accumulates, it maybe impossible to even know that an area window well is present adjacent the house. There have been numerous instances of people falling through snow drifts into wells, and on occasion these people have needlessly injured themselves. Obviously, in more northern locals where the snow gets so deep to completely conceal the existence of the area window well, passage through the window may also be impossible.
In order to keep debris out of area wells, there have been proposed various well covers. One type of cover used in the prior art is a metal grating, which protects humans and animals from passing accidentally into the well. This metal grating was designed prior to the development of egress windows, and so is intended only to admit light and air and does not extend above a window such as the casement type windows. Consequently, the grating interferes with window motion where the window top extends above the top of the area well. In addition, the grating still allows smaller animals to pass through, and further allows debris, including leaves, sticks and snow to pass therethrough. Consequently, it is also still quite possible for the window to be blocked and rendered useless, even where the design would otherwise be well suited. Further limiting the use of a grating is the extreme difficulty for an installer to accommodate irregular building surfaces. While many foundations are consistent, some have significant obstacles or variants that seriously complicate the installation of a grating.
Flat translucent plastic covers provide several advantages over the metal gratings, including lower weight and typically lower cost, admission of light, exclusion of snow and debris, and more ready modification to accommodate irregular building surfaces. These types of covers are for example illustrated by Slade in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,048,897, 3,048,900, and 3,703,791, and also by Frost in U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,014, each which are incorporated by reference herein. In these patents, a flat or generally flat cover is used to cover a window well, and various clips are illustrated therein for retaining the cover to well. While these patents addressed the need to keep debris out of the older window wells, these covers are of no benefit for modem egress windows, which frequently extend above the surrounding window well top. In such instances, the Slade covers will again prevent the casement window from opening and will consequently create a hazard.
Other designs have illustrated a domed cover, and include such patents as U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,489 to Ivy; U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,868 to Gust; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,500 to Mackes. While these patents offer some benefits not found in the prior art, they still do not adequately address the operation of a casement type window, nor do they provide adequate means for attaching to irregular building surfaces.
In a first manifestation, the invention is an area window well cover for enclosing a generally horizontal top opening of an area window well. The cover accommodates a diverse variety of building exterior wall surfaces and geometries, including flat and smooth regular walls and also including irregular surfaces that are not flat and smooth. A body member extends generally across the top opening of the area window well. A wall flat-mount flange extends at an angle from the body member in a plane generally parallel to the building exterior wall. A modifiable wall accommodating flange extends at an angle from the wall flush-mount flange and also at an angle relative to the building exterior wall. The modifiable flange is operatively modified to accommodate a diverse variety of building exterior wall surfaces and thereby fully enclose an area window well.
In a second manifestation, the invention is an area window well cover for enclosing a top opening of an area window well located adjacent a building exterior wall. The cover allows the top of a generally planar casement window, that extends above a top of the area well, to rotate from a closed position to an open egress position underneath the cover. The cover includes a top body member which, when placed in operative position, extends generally above the window top irrespective of whether the casement window is closed, open or between. The top body member extends primarily horizontally from the building exterior wall with a gentle slope therefrom, and has a geometry that operatively accommodates movement of said casement window. The cover also has a first side body member that is adjacent each of the building exterior wall, a first edge of the top body member and the area window well, and thereby forms a generally vertically extending, substantially planar surface. A second side body member is adjacent the building exterior wall, area window well, and a second edge of the top body member distal to the first edge of the top body member, and thereby form a generally vertically extending substantially planar surface. A third side body member is adjacent the top body member, first and second side body members and the area window well, thereby forming a generally vertically extending substantially planar surface.
In a third manifestation, the invention is a method for enclosing an area window well adjacent a building surface. The method includes the steps of determining standard window well dimensions that are most closely associated with the area window well; forming an area window well cover having a dome, a first flange and a second flange to fit the standard window well dimension; trimming the second flange to fit the area window well cover adjacent building surface to thereby fully enclose the area window well; attaching a retaining clip to the area window well cover; coupling the retaining clip with area window well cover; and engaging the trimmed second flange with the building surface.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention solve the inadequacies of prior area window well covers by providing a transparent, shaped cover that is sufficiently strong to support a person and which is readily installed and adaptable to diverse building surfaces and area wells.
A first object of the invention is the provision of a cover which improves safety of an area well and egress window. Animals, persons, snow and debris will most preferably be prevented from unintentionally entering the area well, while the area well cover will most desirably be removable from the inside of the area well or from the outside of the well. Furthermore, the cover will most preferably protect the window glass from unintentional impacts. A further object of the invention is to improve performance, by providing better techniques to secure the cover to both well and building, and also providing a more durable and environmentally resistant cover. Yet another objective is to improve the aesthetic appearance of the area well.